JIL might be the new ARC!

Hi all!

Since ARC stopped making lights, or perhaps even since they abandoned the LS line, I've been in a bit of a flashlight funk.

An ARC LS1 (hybrid) was my first nice luxeon light, and it instantly found a place in my EDC. The size of my thumb, as bright as a 2C Mag, built like a tank, and with outstanding quality.

I ordered ever more LS versions, and although I never liked the move to the clicky Kroll switch, I rounded up a collection of seconds and firsts, gave 'em to friends, and generally thought they were great.

After ARC went out of business, I looked long and hard for another worthy successor - I have a FireFly II, which is a great idea, but not really a commerce-ready product, and looked at BlackBirds, etc., but these high-end single-run lights didn't really fit the bill. Like the ARC4, they all somehow felt like very expensive and somewhat complex lights (multi-level, multi-battery tube, multi-option), more in the 'gadget' category than the hard-working and deadly simple LS.

My new JIL 1.3 and DD CR2 lights just showed up today, and they feel vey much like ARC lights did to me in early 2002, in the sense of revolutionarily small and bright lights, optimized for EDC, and at a 'reasonable' price.

I'll try to get some comparison and beam pics up tonight, but my JIL 1.3 outshines my beloved ARC LSH-P, and the JIL DD is a bit dimmer, in a package that appears to be about 65% the volume of my LSH-P w/twisty.

While it will be hard for JIL to match ARC's legendary customer service, my JIL lights are the first realistic successor to the LS line I've seen, and I look forward to great things coming down the path.

I'll have more to say after dark tonight....

The Jil lights are marvelous. I love them both but the DD is my favorite due to output, size, and run time.

Note that Mr. Gransee just announced his AAA-Rev4 which he says is nearly twice as bright and runs nearly twice as long as the old AAA -- in the same package. See the Dealers section.

At $40 for the premium it sounds like a great light that will compete well with the Jil. It's longer but much thinner.

Man, it's like a CANDY STORE out there nowadays!

W.

What is a JIL?

The Pierce M10 seems to be a lot like the old LS - I think it's made by the same guy who used to make grey kit Arc LS's. They show up from time to time on eBay auctions and sometimes as Buyitnow products. If he ever gets his production up, it could be a CR123 JIL.

Nano is the Arc AAA Slayer. HDS EDC smokes Arc 4+.

Nik, do you have your Nano already? If so, I am jealous. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drool.gif

My lips are sealed. Andrew and I were testing some lights the other night including Nano against formidle contenders BUT NONE OF THEM are ANYWHERE is Small with that ajustable killer output same exact size as Arc AAA. JIL go and hide. That light JIL is to big--HDS will smoke it anyway.
Truthfully, we still all must wait a bit yet- I am a bit demanding and am getting a "Custom" one of kind Nano (But it would not be hard to make more). Hey its only $$$ and that Nano is just IT- THE ArcAAA Slayer!
PS the The Arc AAA Premium came in last place... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Deanster, my Jil DD lights arrived today. I too am very impressed with them. For the price, these things can't be beat. I'd love to see a multi-level output feature, however these are really nice as is. What's refreshing about the DD version is that that it nicely fits the KISS (keep it simple stupid) mold. There's no electronics in there to worry about.

My jil 1.3 is much brighter then my ARC LSH-P. a bit less then my Q-III i gave away, this is the first model.

It's a great light Run's forever, and consisent brightness
On primaries is brighter then the DD I am told (and from beam shot's)and just really find it fit's squarely bewtween my HDS basic 60 and peak 1xAAA 1xLED lug around my neck.
three great light's to carry for any need and backups. VDG

P.S. still love my old ARC LSH-P too!

Jil lights are very nicely made lights, especially for price. Nice machining, good form factor, HA with nice emitters, an excellent value! possibly a milestone light in it's own right, but Jil is no Arc LS.

Updated with latest luxeons (Ubin), reflectors and mineral lens etc, ARC LS's performance is still second to none. To be a true contender for ARC LS replacement you would need to offer modular options of several different battery packs.

please correct me if I'm wrong, but ARC LS is still only Luxeon light able to run with 1x AA, 2x AA and 123. ARC LS is one of the most versitile lights ever made. happily operating on 1x & 2x AA alk, CR123, 14500 and R123 li-ion.

ARC LS is a true classic that has survived the test of time. In Luxeon light's short history, true classics like ARC LS will raise to the surface.

IMHO only time will tell who the other classics will be.

My Arc LS first run also seems to run well on two AA NiMH...

[ QUOTE ]
cy said:
Jil lights are very nicely made lights, especially for price. Nice machining, good form factor, HA with nice emitters, an excellent value! possibly a milestone light in it's own right, but Jil is no Arc LS.

Updated with latest luxeons (Ubin), reflectors and mineral lens etc, ARC LS's performance is still second to none. To be a true contender for ARC LS replacement you would need to offer modular options of several different battery packs.

please correct me if I'm wrong, but ARC LS is still only Luxeon light able to run with 1x AA, 2x AA and 123. ARC LS is one of the most versitile lights ever made. happily operating on 1x & 2x AA alk, CR123, 14500 and R123 li-ion.

ARC LS is a true classic that has survived the test of time. In Luxeon light's short history, true classics like ARC LS will raise to the surface.

IMHO only time will tell who the other classics will be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said cy. The Arc LS was definitely ahead of it's time, and it's still going strong. I love my JIL lights too, but there's still just something about the LS...

Peter

IIRC, only the first run LS were able to run on 1xAA, and they weren't waterproof... and HDS is something like 2-3x the volume of a JIL 1.3

In any case, I'd specifically intended this to be a controversial statement, any my ARC's still hold a very special place - stock, no UCL or reflectors, or emitter upgrades - an LS2 second on a 2xAA twisty with lithiums is my 'disaster light' - The one I grab when I absolutely, positively need a light I can depend on.

T_i_N hit it right on the head, though - in a time when the trend seems to be toward increasingly complex, feature-laden, expensive, and indeed larger lights (ORB Raw is another pleasant exception to the trend), the JIL DD and 1.3 are a huge step toward simplicity and quality at a moderate (by flashaholic standards) price.

My JIL 1.3 beats the pants off my ARC LSH-P in 2/3 the volume, and at 1/2 the original price.

Simplicity, size, value - all things ARC stood for in my mind. Modularity and outstanding service are the others... we'll see how JIL does on these in the long run.

I've been looking at the Jils and also at Mr. Gransee's new light. What are your thoughts about the ORB Raw?

[ QUOTE ]
Geologist said:
I've been looking at the Jils and also at Mr. Gransee's new light. What are your thoughts about the ORB Raw?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll know soon enough, with (2) of them on the way, however the way I read it the Raw is more of a WOW light than a pratical light. Twelve minutes of runtime is what I've read, however those 12-minutes are supposed to be the most light ever coming out of something that small, ever. I got the Raws for the novelty aspect, not for pratical useage.

The Jil (especially the DD) is a clas act light. Simple, small enough to use, carry and not lose. NO electonics to speak of that could break and let you down, so much usuable runtime it's not even funny. My FF-II EDC is getting nervous and it has every right to be.

Hi, TIN.

I had recently done a simple mod putting a sandwich inside the Jil 1.3w UP. Now I can swap and play with different sandwich with Jil 1.3w, and it is so much fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hehe...I observe the same nervousness from my local flashaholic friends' FF2s, as they are ordering their Jils. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Is there a source that indicates relative output on the two versions and corresponding runtimes? I understand that the DD is for direct drive, but is it maxing out the T-Bin?
Also - are the lights designed for RCR2s? I have abox of regular CR2s anyway (bought them for the RAW), but I was curious since I am trying to evaluate which of the two would be the better choice. The price for the units is quite reasonable (I don't think I would have said that in my pre flashaholic past). But then here comes the ARC4....

[ QUOTE ]
this_is_nascar said:

I'll know soon enough, with (2) of them on the way, however the way I read it the Raw is more of a WOW light than a pratical light. Twelve minutes of runtime is what I've read, however those 12-minutes are supposed to be the most light ever coming out of something that small, ever. I got the Raws for the novelty aspect, not for pratical useage.


[/ QUOTE ]
While I agree that it is more of a WOW-light it still has a practical value. For someone like me that lives in a city I usually only need additional light for 1-2, maybe 5 minutes at any given time. With a spare RCR2 in my pocket the runtime goes up to 20-25 minutes, more than enough for fixing a tire on the side of the road or something along those lines.
Of course you wouldn't take your dog on a walk and rely on the Raw for guidance though. Unless you want to scare the dog away /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'll also be interested in your thoughts on the Orb Raw - I'm all behind WOW! lights, but I think that it takes a pretty aggressive flashaholic to find the beauty in such a high power/weight ratio. I tend to think that 10 minutes just isn't a worthwhile amount of time - even the 20 minutes of a Surefire HOLA is mighty thin, and the 'tactical' nature assumes brief operation with access to lots of spares.

By contrast, the tiny lights are presumably intended to be EDC, and 10 minutes is ridiculously short for EDC, IMHO.

Though the JIL 1.3 is MUCH brighter than the JIL DD, the very long tail of low light (up to 20 hours) of the DD makes it an ideal EDC - much like the FFII's low setting, which provides more than an ARC AAA worth of light for 20+ hours - having an option for a little light for a long time is a very good thing in EDC, also IMHO.

[ QUOTE ]
Deanster said:IIRC, only the first run LS were able to run on 1xAA, and they weren't waterproof...

[/ QUOTE ]

My personal ARC LSH-P with UXOH is pretty water tight and runs fine on 1x AA alk and 1X AA lithium. brighness with single AA alk is aprox. same as TNC 200 AA. with AA lithium it still out performs TNC 350 AA. 1X AA nmh will only work with first run.